The Loss of Annie and the Descent into Darkness
The birth of her daughter did not bring a fairytale ending. Instead, it exposed a 12-year-old child to the crushing weight of motherhood while she herself remained in desperate need of parenting.
Saturated by relentless press intrusion and battling severe post-natal depression, Tressa turned to alcohol and tobacco to numb her pain. Two years after Annie was born, child protective services intervened, determining that Tressa was incapable of providing a safe environment. Annie was placed into the foster system and eventually put up for open adoption.
For six months, Tressa was allowed brief daily visits, but the day finally came when contact was severed entirely. The final farewell took place at a local crèche—a memory that would haunt Tressa for decades.
“I didn’t realize it would be the last time I’d see her,” Tressa shared in a heartbreaking interview with Closer magazine. “She was given to new parents… The last time I saw her, she didn’t recognize me and was scared. She was crying for her new parents. It broke my heart. I couldn’t even hug her.”
Overwhelmed by heartbreak, public condemnation, and the suffocating weight of the secret she was still keeping, Tressa spiraled into a devastating, $500-a-day heroin addiction.
